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St. Louis Man Charged with Murdering His 21-Month-Old Stepson

Vincent Jones, 45, was charged on Thursday with murder in the death of his baby stepson.

Police now believe a baby boy who died Wednesday under suspicious circumstances was murdered by his stepfather.

Vincent Jones, 45, told St. Louis County police officers he went to check on 21-month-old John Wilbourn at 8:36 a.m. and found the child unresponsive on his bed, authorities say. The boy was shuttled by helicopter to Children's Hospital where he was pronounced dead.

This morning, Jones was charged with second-degree murder. The St. Louis County Medical Examiner found John suffered lethal abdominal wounds that were "clearly child abuse," police say.

The child's mother told investigators John was fine at 7:20 a.m. when she left him with Jones. When the boy's body was examined later, he had extensive injuries, including a tear near his liver. He had lots of blood in his abdomen, authorities say.

The wounds were so severe, the boy could have only survived for 30 minutes, maybe an hour, the medical examiner found.

Jones, of the 2500 block of Pershal Road, was the only adult home at the time. He claimed the boy hadn't suffered any traumatic injuries that morning, according to police.

He was jailed on a $500,000 bond.

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